Hope For Those Who Are Weary

Wednesday, December 11

1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty,my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Psalm 84: 1-4.

I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me…I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.  Of all the secular Christmas songs, this one is my favorite. The word home in this song takes me to my childhood grandparent’s home in Tennessee. It was a humble farmhouse located on top of a big hill along a gravel road. Christmas was a joyous time there filled with smells of holiday goodies, sights of familiar ornaments onthe Christmas tree, and sounds of laughter from cousins, aunts,and uncles.  My memories of this Christmas home are not filled with memories of material gifts; in fact, the only ones who received gifts were my grandparents and I can remember the excitement of watching them open their gifts from the family. But of course we all received gifts. They were gifts of love, of faith, of family—a gift of a true home. It’s been 12 years since my grandmother died and thus 12 years since I’ve been in that home for Christmas and yet, I can visit it vividly each Christmas season in my heart. The gifts of that home continue to bless me and renew me. If I feel lost I can journey there in my mind and feel centered and refreshed. When I hear this favorite Christmas song it makes me wonder how often those of us who are weary are longing for a home---a place of peace, love, and acceptance.  We are tired, worn down, and fed up with life’s injustice.  We may have never experienced a home-- maybe a house with people in it-- but not a home. This home may be so foreign to us that we can’t even dream about it.   I’m grateful for my memories of my Christmas home because God was real there. Ipray that those of us who are weary can find our home in Christ and that we can be renewed by his love this Christmas season.  ​

-ReganLookadoo